“The Overhead Athletic Institute is the ultimate authority in training and rehabilitation for the overhead athlete. Our mission is to bring the highest quality education to professionals and assist athletes worldwide in optimal recovery from injury, staying injury free, but also in realizing their full potential.”
Why OAI?
The Overhead Athletic Institute was founded to fill the gap in athletic rehabilitation and performance training for the overhead athlete. Far too often athletes never reach their athletic potential. Thousands of overhead athletes never return to their previous level of play following an injury. A forensic analysis of the rehabilitation protocols that these athletes were prescribed demonstrates numerous inadequacies. Firsthand observation of the gaps in the training methodologies and treatment procedures for overhead athletes was a driving force in the creation of the OAI. This inspiration continues to be a motivation for the OAI to assist all overhead athletes
In Order To Train A Biomechanically Efficient Throwing Motion It Is Necessary To Understand The Importance Of Each Individual Phase.
Each phase leads to the next. Our BSMA evaluation and corrective exercise program train the entire athlete. We give athletes the tools to prepare their body for the movements required to deliver the ball towards its intended target without structural or functional deficits. Our phase specific program creates the correct neuromuscular coordination required to throw much harder. Understanding the forces on the shoulder and elbow during each of the stress producing phases gives us the knowledge to train the throwing motion correctly. The most appropriate individuals to train athletes are the ones who have to rehabilitate them after they are injured.
All Of The Prominent Programs Today Are Promoting Their Formula Without Medical Justification Or Any Understanding As To Why Their Product May Or May Not Work.
Strength has been thoroughly investigated in clinical orthopedic research and shown not to be related to the speed of movement. To improve pitching speed, it is necessary to train the body for speed. Simply put, the only way to increase the speed of the arm and body is to train it to move faster. The best way to train for this speed is to be functionally strong throughout your entire kinetic chain. In order to accelerate a ball efficiently you need functional stability. Then you must superimpose skill specific mobility on that core rotational stability. This is one of the main principles in orthopedic physical therapy. Our entire program has been designed by observing and understanding all of the compensations that we see in Overhead Athletes’ throwing motions that rob them of power and make them susceptible to injury. We start every athlete with a Sports Specific Functional Movement Analysis (SSFMA) that gives you an opportunity to see your own weaknesses and use corrective exercises we have designed to eliminate those imbalances.
The Ground Is Our Primary Source For Power And We Are All Affected By Gravity.
Maximizing performance on the field without consideration for both of these will never produce an optimal result. Understanding how to create linear speed and angular momentum requires a thorough knowledge of ground reaction force and what needs to be done to transfer power to the body.
We have dedicated years to the investigation and development of this program. It is the first of its kind. It has been a monumental undertaking we are proud to introduce. We are certain that this program will give you a better understanding of how your body works and why sport specific training needs to be individualized. Every one’s skeletal anatomy is different and that is why it is paramount to consider this when designing an exercise or performance program. There are many individuals selling and promoting themselves as experts in the field of overhead athletics.